Cocaine smuggler jailed over role in £300m ring

A British man who led authorities to the largest ever drugs seizure in Ireland was jailed for 10 years by a judge in Cork yesterday. Gerard Hagan, from Liverpool, who swam ashore for help as an inflatable boat carrying 1.5 tonnes of cocaine overturned in rough seas, pleaded guilty to his role in the smuggling operation. The 24-year-old was among four English men arrested when €440m (£300m) worth of the drug washed up off the south-west coast of Cork in July last year. Three others - who were given terms of 25 to 30 years after a 42-day trial - have lodged appeals against their conviction and sentences.Press Association

Victory for family of man found dead in Germany

The family of a British student found dead in mysterious circumstances on a dual carriageway in Wiesbaden five years ago came a step closer yesterday to gaining a fresh inquest when the high court in London ruled that the case of 22-year-old Jeremiah Duggan could go to a full judicial review. Duggan, who was Jewish, went to Germany with followers of Lyndon LaRouche, the American leader of a sect with a fascist and antisemitic ideology. It is thought he was unaware of the group's views. His mother, Erica, welcomed the decision, saying more needed to be known about the "dangerous organisation".Afua Hirsch

Parents fight academy sponsorship decision

Parents have accused the government of breaking European competition law in its "back-room" method of choosing sponsors for academy schools. Lawyers for the parents told a high court judge Camden council's acceptance of University College London as sponsor for its academy in Swiss Cottage, north London, confirmed by schools secretary Ed Balls, had "the appearance of a back-room deal". Other potential sponsors were understood to be interested in backing the academy, planned to open in 2011. But the "open to tender" rules which govern sponsorship of schools do not apply to academies.Press Association

Climate change behind decline in lemmings

The regular explosions in lemming numbers that led to the myth that they jump off cliffs in large numbers have stopped in the past 15 years because of climate change. Huge increases in the rodent's populations are possible only when snow forms a cosy blanket under which they can breed and feed on moss. Researchers at the University of Oslo report in the journal Nature that cycles of freezing and thawing due to climate change have produced the wrong sort of snow, meaning food is hard to come by, the animals find keeping warm a challenge, and they are more prone to being eaten.James Randerson

Former newsagent dies from rare strain of CJD

A former newsagent has died after being struck down by a rare disease that affects one in a million people. Malcolm Howells, 65, from Aberdare, south Wales, died from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) less than six weeks after suffering dizzy spells while on holiday in Spain with his wife, Pat. His condition deteriorated after they returned to Britain and he died on October 24 at the Prince Charles hospital in Merthyr Tydfil. Experts from Edinburgh diagnosed the condition just two days before his death. The cause of sporadic CJD is unknown but it cannot be caught from another person or animal.Press Association

Bath's world heritage status put to the test

Bath, famed for its Roman baths and grand Georgian architecture, is under scrutiny by UN officials who are deciding whether it still deserves its world heritage status. Concern about an approved riverside development which will have nine-storey buildings and 2,200 houses has prompted the Unesco team's three-day visit. The Bath Preservation Trust, which wants to safeguard the heritage title by reinforcing planning guidelines, will meet the inspectors tomorrow. The trust said it hoped the visit would draw attention to the challenges facing Bath as a world heritage site.Press Association

Labour MEPs vote against Brown's EU opt-out

Gordon Brown suffered a setback yesterday when his MEPs in the European parliament voted to abolish Britain's exemption from European rules limiting the working week to 48 hours. Labour MEPs joined the comfortable majority voting to abolish all opt-outs from the EU's working time directive only a few months after the government secured a "landmark agreement" allowing employees in the UK to work much longer hours than in continental Europe. All opt-outs are supposed to be phased out within three years, paving the way for a clash between MEPs, Britain, and other EU governments.Ian Traynor